


As Long as He Had it

by humanedspresso



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: A little humour, Adorable, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:21:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13940553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanedspresso/pseuds/humanedspresso
Summary: Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, knew many things.The pain of losing a family and the joy of finding a new one, the cold of the world and the warmth of home, the despair of hopelessness and the strength in the littlest things - he knew all of that, and much more he had learnt in years.But even with all that, he did not know what love was.





	As Long as He Had it

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, knew many things. 

 

The pain of losing a family and the joy of finding a new one, the cold of the world and the warmth of home, the despair of hopelessness and the strength in the littlest things - he knew all of that, and much more he had learnt in years.

 

But even with all that, he did not know what love was.

 

 

 

 

Sure, his scientific mind could have said that it was nothing more than just chemicals and reactions in the brain, or instinct, or the human nature to fight loneliness, but it was more than just that. Souls exist, and he was sure love had something to do with them.

 

When he had finally confessed his love to Roy (well, the General had done it, but it didn’t matter right?) he had thought he could have finally understood - but he only found himself with the feeling rooting in his heart, making him warm and red on his cheeks whenever he saw those raven-like eyes, that beautiful smile, and that special look Roy seemed to have only for him. It made him more confused, his brain unable to process information without involvement, and without being distracted by the same thing he was trying to wrap his head around of. He had tried to keep some distance, at first, but had found his chest ache and his gut hurt at pulling too hard. 

 

He had then decided to change his approach, throwing himself deep into it without restraints, but it had only come back to bite him in the ass: the deeper he dwelled, the stronger the grasp Roy had on him grew, even if the man didn’t want it - it wasn’t something he could stop. If Ed showed him love, he was bound to try and show a little more in return… only for his small boyfriend to try and do the same, out of pure happiness in seeing him smile and his dark eyes gleam at him for the same reason.

 

He had found himself doing stupid things like making him dinner when he could, or sitting very close to (if not on top of) him whenever he had the chance, to try and find things as he shopped for groceries that he knew Roy would have liked, and soon it had become normal to him to find simple ways to spoil his General.

 

He had learnt to wake up in the middle of the night to chase ghosts of the war and wash invisible blood from Roy’s mind and hands, and to know his man was there for him when his own monsters came crawling from under the bed to choke him as he slept; he had learnt that tears weren’t all bad, even if someone else’s could tear your heart apart more than their words or their weapons, and that he didn’t have to hide his own even if they hurt others just as much; he had learnt all over again the feeling of sadness in seeing the person you love the most suffer, the helplessness that came with it, and to come to terms with the fact that not all wounds can heal completely.

 

He had never thought that would have had anything to do with love… until he had looked down on his tear-filled chest at Roy’s sobbing face, heart-wrenching and horrible, and had seen a faint smile on his lips - so out of place in his despair, but genuine and pure, born from having someone to share his pain with. Until he had found himself doing the same, one night, and had finally realised what it meant not to be alone with your demons with someone who knew of them and still stayed.

 

They had learnt, the morning after, to pamper each other with something sweet, or something delicious - with cuddles and lame jokes that still made them giggle like children playing in the rain, only to look up and see the rainbow: they had learnt to make fun of each other and to accept the quirks and weird habits the other had, even if they made no sense - like Ed’s obsession with kitchen utensils having a specific order in the cupboards and stealing the General’s clothes or the time Roy took to comb and style his hair in the morning and the way he put his uniforms in the closet. 

 

They had found they both loved things they would have never expected the other to like, such as classical music for the young troublemaker and playing with the hose in summer for the ever water-fearing Flame Alchemist - and that they both hated other things as much, like Ed and the beach or Roy with novelle cuisine.

 

They had learnt to walk the tightrope that was a relationship together, holding the other up without losing their balance, to walk the wire without being afraid of plummeting down, only set to look in front of them at the bright future that awaited if they were willing to take risks for it - and to enjoy the time they spent reaching it. 

 

They had taught people down below to look out for them, an immovable object and an unstoppable force together to become a devastating and mesmerizing force of nature - metal and flame born from the same furnace, one shaping and strengthening the other to the perfect point.

 

They had learnt together what it meant to fight for their love in a world that seemed not to want it, and that it was enough for them to want it - to find solace in the people who cared for them and supported them if they ever felt like faltering, and to push others like them to do the same.

 

But even learning all that… he - no, they - still hadn’t learnt what love was. 

 

Maybe it was too hard to comprehend, maybe the human brain wasn’t made to understand such a complicated thing - like the force moving the universe, love wasn’t something a simple being could get. 

 

Maybe love wasn’t meant to be understood at all. It was meant to be felt with soul and heart, to shake the very core of things, to break through anything like a blast, or slowly but steadily like a flower on a stone. 

 

It was meant to be nurtured and cared for to have it grow into something marvelous, without asking why one thing worked for some people but not for others - it wasn’t just science, it wasn’t just math, it wasn’t just alchemy.

 

 

 

 

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, knew many things.

 

He knew Roy snored like a hippo playing a trombone, that his man was cuddly and more of a dork than he would have ever wanted to admit, that he had shadows of the past that he couldn’t have gotten rid of as long as there would have been light around, that he was still strong enough to turn his back to them and stare at that light to grasp it.

 

But even with all that, he did not know what love was.

 

Although, well, looking at Roy’s love-filled eyes and seeing his own reflected in them he decided that he didn’t need to know what love was.

 

As long as he had it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is nothing but a small fic I wrote in literally a hour and hardly proof-read - but I felt great doing it so I wanted to share it anyway.
> 
> Is it OOC? Highly likely, but I don't mind. I hope it'll warm your heart a little bit~.


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